Alexander Ernst Fesca (22 May 1820 in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

– 22 February 1849 in

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

) was a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

Life

Alexander Ernst Fesca was born in Karlsruhe on 22 May 1820, as the second of four sons of composer

Friedrich Ernst Fesca Friedrich Ernst Fesca (15 February 1789 – 24 May 1826) was a German violinist and composer of instrumental music. Life and career He was born at Magdeburg. His father, Johann Peter August Fesca, was the market judge of Magdeburg and active in ...

(1789–1826) and his wife Charlotte (born Dingelstedt, daughter of the horn player Johann Heinrich Dingelstedt). Fesca received his first lessons from his father and made his debut at the age of 11 as a pianist in his hometown. At the age of 14 he graduated in composition at the

Prussian Academy of Arts The Prussian Academy of Arts () was a state arts academy first established in 1694 by prince-elector Frederick III of Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg in Berlin, in personal union Duke Frederick I of Prussia, and later king in Kingdom of ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. His teachers included August Wilhelm Bach (1796–1869),

Wilhelm Taubert Carl Gottfried Wilhelm Taubert (23 March 1811 – 7 January 1891) was a German pianist, composer, and conductor, and the father of philologist and writer Emil Taubert. Life Born in Berlin, Taubert studied under Ludwig Berger (piano) and Bernha ...

(1811–1891) and

Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen (first name also sometimes given as Karl;Eitner (1889) 27 September 1778 – 21 December 1851) was a German composer and academic teacher at the Prussian Academy of Arts. Life Rungenhagen abandoned early study of ...

(1778–1851). In 1838, he returned to Karlsruhe. He got his first success with the

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

"Mariette" in the same year. Fesca was known during his short life mostly through his songs and piano pieces in which his talent is coupled with a certain musical lightness. This is probably also the reason why some music scholars deny "deeper level" and "artistic seriousness" of his works. In 1841, his

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

"The French in Spain" was staged with great success. In the same year, Prince Egon von Furstenberg appointed Fesca as Chamber Virtuoso. From 1842, he settled in Brunswick. In the local court theater on 25 July 1847 was premiered Fescas major work, five-act heroic-romantic opera "Il Trovatore" with a libretto by Frederick Schmetzer. On 22 February 1849, Alexander Ernst Fesca, aged 28, died of lung disease in Braunschweig.

Works (partial list)

Adagio * Espérance (op. 24) Fantasias * Fantasie auf Motive der Oper „

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

“ von

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

(op. 43) * Fantasie auf Motive der Oper „

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

“ von

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

(op. 50) * Le dernier soupir (op. 58) Piano Sextets * Klaviersextett B-Dur (op. 8) Piano Trios * Klaviertrio Nr. 1 (op. 11) * Klaviertrio Nr. 2 (op. 12) * Klaviertrio Nr. 3 (op. 23) * Klaviertrio Nr. 4 (op. 31) * Klaviertrio Nr. 5 (op. 46) * Klaviertrio Nr. 6 (op. 54) Piano Quartets * Klavierquartett Nr. 1 (op. 26) * Klavierquartett Nr. 2 (op. 28) Operas * „Die Franzosen in Spanien“ (UA Karlsruhe 1841) * „Der Troubadour“ (UA Braunschweig 1847) * „Ulrich von Hutten“ (unvollendet) Operettas * „Mariette“ (UA Karlsruhe 1838) Rondos * Introduction et grand rondeau (op. 3) Septets * Großes Septett Nr. 1 (op. 26) * Großes Septett Nr. 2 (op. 28) String Quartets * Streichquartett c-moll Lieder * Fünf Lieder von

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...

für eine Tenor-Stimme mit Begleitung des Pianoforte (op. 13), Braunschweig, G.M. Meyer jr. 1842

External links

* * * Article on klassica.com: http://www.klassika.info/Komponisten/Fesca/

Notes

* This article is based on the German Wikipedia page * * 1820 births 1849 deaths Musicians from Karlsruhe Deaths from lung disease German male classical pianists 19th-century German composers 19th-century German classical pianists 19th-century German male musicians {{Germany-composer-stub